HUNDREDS of Southampton council workers will discover in just five days whether their jobs are being handed over to a private company.

Council bosses will decide next week if another firm will take on key council services and more than 600 jobs.

Business outsourcing firm Capita wants to take control of various departments, including IT, benefits, customer service, human resources, payroll, property services and local taxation services.

It says it can deliver "significant financial savings" to the council over the next ten years.

The crunch meeting on Wednesday is the culmination of three years' planning and a lengthy tendering process, which concluded with the council agreeing to undertake final talks with Capita Business Services Ltd.

The company has put forward plans to invest £25m in providing council services, including the development of a new call centre and improvements to Gateway, the one-stop shop for council enquiries.

During the next three years Capita also wants to develop a new office complex and walk-in centre in Northern Above Bar.

If the council decides to go into partnership with Capita, these services will be transferred from October 1 this year.

Approximately 650 council staff will transfer under their current terms and conditions and continue to benefit from being members of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

The contract would initially be for ten years, with the option to extend this for a further five years.

About 2,000 Unison members - about a sixth of the workforce - have protested against the proposal. They say any potential Capita takeover will put jobs, salaries and pensions at risk.

More demonstrations are planned before Wednesday's meeting.